Plans Against Celestia
by British Ways
Summary: It's all just a huge misunderstanding. "Plans Against Celestia" Is just the title of a fanfiction. It's too late now though. Pulled into their world to face trial, what fate awaits?
1. Chapter 1

**Come at me CU**

* * *

**Plans against Celestia**

"Man, I hate walking home in the dark, I cant see anything and there are fucking weirdoes everywhere." It had been a pretty long day, doing what you normally do every day you don't have off. Today you decided to walk home. It was the middle of winter so the dark came early. All you wanted to do was reach the comfortable warmth of your room and start writing a new fanfic you were brainstorming named 'Plans against Celestia'.

The path you walked along was completely desolate. The only sound audible was the rustling of the leaves, the trees on either side of your path made you feel paranoid. There could be people hiding in there, watching, waiting… but that was just stupid. No one had ever been murdered or kidnapped from these parts. It was fine.

You keep telling yourself as you walk along that nothing is there. To take your mind off your fears, you start reciting lines out-loud from your fan fiction trying to think of some important key moments and what the characters would say. You go over multiple plot details you have planned out in your head. "Today is the day we begin the downfall of Celestia. Her reign of tyranny will be stopped before dusk comes!" You say aloud, paranoia keeping you from being too loud. "Come on, there isn't anyone around here. I'm fine…" you say, but you don't feel any better.

*Rustle, crack* Sounds come from behind you, you stop and look around, but the darkness prevents you from making anything out. You are certain there are no shadowy figures, no monsters or anything, it's all in your head. In the silence of the night, you decide you're safe, but just as you start walking the rustling follows you. You pick your pace up to a brisker walk, but the rustling continues anyway. It follows your speed and gets faster. You freeze in place again and listen. The rustling is slow to react to your stop. You try to focus on what it is, and hear… whispers…? They sound female, THEY sound female, there's more than one! Panic takes control of your body, there is someone following! Without thinking you turn and sprint down the path.

"It's runnin' away!" A female voice says in surprise. The accent sounds very Southern. Another voice shouts in a commanding tone, "Stop traitor!" It sounds a bit more normal, but still female. "He aint slowin' Twi!" The Southern one says. "I got this one girls!" A third voice tells its friends, it sounds less feminine, but still not male. "Hey! Stop where you are!" It shouts, you aren't sure if they are talking to you, you had done nothing wrong.

"My magic is having no effect on it, I think it's immune to magic." The normal female voice says. "Rainbow, you have to bring it down, before it gets away!"

"Easy," The less feminine voice says. Are they referring to you? It seems like it but- *SMACK* you are slammed onto the ground by an immense force. Turning over, your arms are pinned down by two… feet? No, they aren't feet, you can't feel the rubber of a shoe's sole. It also doesn't feel like skin. you can't make the captor out, until your eyes adjust. you look at what is pinning you. Cyan in colour, they look like… hooves? Wouldn't that make your captor a horse of some kind? …no… a pony… more specifically,

"Nice work Rainbow Dash." The country voice compliments Rainbow Dash, that's who is pinning you down. Your memory jogs, the country voice is Applejack, and the other is Twilight. Now, another question was raised, what do they want with you? You decide to ask them yourself.

"What do you want with me?!" You yell, struggling to get free.

"We know all about your plans against princess Celestia, human!" Twilight says, coming into view. "You'll be brought back to Canterlot castle for a trial."

"What are you talking about?!" You shout innocently, "I have no plans for anything of the sort. I-" you shut up when something was tied around your mouth. It's a rope, tied tightly to prevent you from talking.

"We'll hear it all back at the castle. Let's go." Twilight says, a violent aura lights up a large sphere in the surrounding area, presumably from Twilight's horn.

You don't know what happens, but you awake in a cell of some kind.

"Oh what the fuck is going on?" You say to yourself, infinitely confused by this change of scenery. There is a small window in the cell, about the size of your head and it's barred so you can't fit through. That doesn't matter however; as you look through the window you become nauseated by vertigo. There is a long, long drop down. A small moat is the only thing to break your fall if you are to escape, and there is no telling how deep it is. The reality of the situation starts to arise. You are trapped, a prisoner, and you have no idea where you are or what you have done. The cell is fairly small, the walls made of concrete which is slightly chipped and damaged everywhere. A small bucket is your toilet, and a small wooden frame with a dirty mattress is your bed. There is also a table with a bowl on it. The bowl contains two apples and some… hay? You aren't really sure what the hay is for, but the food has obviously been left for you. It doesn't seem dirty or damaged, unlike everything else in the room. In fact, you can't help but note how it seems too perfect, it is shiny, almost like a cartoon.

"I'm dreaming." You say aloud to yourself, grabbing an apple from the bowl. It feels smooth to touch, and quite cool, indicating it is fresh. "What a waste of a dream, being stuck in a cell…" You bite the apple, the sweetness tingles your cheeks, almost painfully. The apple is juicy and full of flavour, the taste catches you by surprise and you choke on the apple in your mouth. You rush over to the window and cough up what is lodged in your throat. Panting from the lack of air, you look into the distance. For a jail cell the view is stunning, the field below seems to drop like a cliff edge, leaving nothing but pure blue sky. The field below has patches of colour dotted around from flowers, purple, red, yellow, every colour of the rainbow. "This dream sucks…" You say to yourself, taking a step back from the window you stick your foot into your 'toilet', painfully twisting your ankle you fall backwards and smack the back of your head on the table. You lay there, dazed, trying to comprehend what just happened.

"Prisoner! Get up!" Someone yells at you from behind, you find it hard to understand them as your ears are ringing. You can barely make anything out as the daze has affected your sight as well. Carefully, you stumble to your feet, using the table to balance. The thing talking to you seems to be some kind of white and yellow blob.

"S-sorry, did someone say something?" you groan, trying to focus on the blob.

"Cease staring at me, traitor. The time has come to present you in front of the princesses." He commands. This figure is definitely male, he sounds somewhat impatient with you.

"Agh, my head is fucking killing me…" You say again. "Wait a second… I feel pain! This isn't a dream!?" The realisation hits you like a table to the back of the head. The shaking up of this causes your heart to race, flowing blood back to your brain. Your hearing becomes clearer and your vision corrects itself. "O-oh my god…" you stare open mouthed at the now cleared up blob. To your total dismay, it's a pony. A unicorn, to be more precise. It is a white pony wearing golden armour which covers its blue mane and tail.

"Ugh, you can't be in front of the princesses in this state. I'm going to have to check you into the infirmary." The pony groans. You don't pay attention though, frozen by how shocked you are, you have woken up in a fictional world, that isn't possible, is it? You are dragged along by this guard, he's only a little shorter than you even though he is standing on all fours.

*TIME SKIP*

"What's wrong with him?" A female pony dressed in a nurse's outfit asks the guard who dragged you here.

"I don't know, I think he hit his head or something." The guard tells her. You're still in too much shock to form a sentence, you tried a few times on the way here but to no avail. Just a few non coherent slurs are the best attempts you can make.

"Oh dear, okay, lie down here sir." You think she's talking to you, she wraps a hoof around your arm and gently encourages you towards the bed. You slowly nod and climb on, laying on your back. The bed is wheeled to a more private room of the infirmary and set against a wall.

"W… wha- ar- wha…" You try to ask the simple question of "What are you doing?" but all that comes out is a few stutters.

"Try to calm down before you speak, I can't understand a word you're saying." The female pony says to you.

"Anyway, can you find out what's wrong with him? The princesses will be speaking to him soon, I can't present him to them in this state." The guard asks impatiently, staring down at you.

"I cannot say for certain. There is no way I can study him, the anatomy of his body is… well… he isn't a pony." The female voice replies to the guard. He huffs in response. "Where did you think he hit his head?"

"He was lying with the back of his head against the table in his cell." A hoof turns your head to the side roughly, jolting your headache a bit. A gentler hoof is placed on your head and the other releases its touch.

"Be gentle, he's in bad shape." The female scolds the guard. "Ah, yes. There's a bit of blood and quite a lump. I think the meeting with the princesses might have to be re-scheduled, he is showing signs of a concussion."

"Ugh… the princesses won't be happy with this." you hear the sound of hooves exiting the room.

"You feeling any better now? Try and say something." She asks softly, leaning over your bed. You look into her eyes, she makes you feel a bit more comfortable then the guard did.

"Who… wh-who are you?" You successfully stutter out.

"Ah, you can speak equestrian, good. My name is Nurse Bluecross. In case you're wondering, you're currently in the infirmary of Canterlot castle." She replies with a smile, happy to see you getting better. She is a peach coloured pony, her mane is dark blue and curly in style with a matching tail.

"Equestrian… Canterlot?!" Memories come flooding back to you, you're in Equestria. The other night, you were ambushed by some ponies… you can't remember who they were currently, but there was definitely three of them.

"Of course, you aren't from this world, I was told. Hm… I wonder… would you be willing to volunteer for a spell I've been developing? It's a more advanced version of a headache curing spell, and I can see you have quite the headache." She playfully bumps a hoof on your head, pain shoots through your brain and nearly implodes your skull, you yelp out loud. "Oh dear, I'm ever so sorry!" She panics.

"It's…okay." You lie to her, seeing she's worried about you. "Um… sorry, did you say… spells, as in… magic!?"

"Yes, sorry do you not have that back where you come from?" She asks, tilting her head in confusion, you carefully shake your head in response. "How peculiar… anyway, would you like me to try the spell?" Her horn glows a light blue, dazzling you a bit and hurting your head. "I promise it won't hurt." she looks really enthusiastic about this, her eyes wide in anticipation of your answer.

"Uh… s-sure, okay…" You give in. hoping you didn't just sign your fate.

"Oh, excellent," She squeals excitedly. "Nopony has ever let me test this on them, hold still please." You do as she says and her horn presses against the top of your head. You suddenly realise what she just said, but it's too late. There's a bright flash, followed by silence.


	2. Chapter 2

There is a nudging at your shoulder, some barely audible words sounding in your ear. You slowly open your eyes and you're blinded by the intense light in the room. Your sight adjusts and you are looking at the nurse from earlier. She seems worried, but then perks up when you react to her touch. Her voice then begins to clear up. "…magic caused you to black out, I think it may have effected your blood flow." She apologises.

"Uh…" You fill in the blurred part you missed yourself. "It's okay, my head doesn't hurt anymore."

"There's another problem though, I think I might have damaged a part of your brain with my spell, after repairing I think I might have… fragmented your memory. You might not be able to remember some stuff, it's still there, it just isn't in place." She looks down at the floor, ashamed of herself. Your heart begins to race. You can't think of anything you may have forgotten, but that's probably because you have forgotten it! While you are still in thought there's a sharp knock at the door, followed by a familiar voice from earlier.

"Nurse Bluecross? The princesses are here, they wish to see the 'human.'" He says seriously, causing your heart to skip a beat as a bit of memory rushes back to you. The princesses wanted to see you about something, and it wasn't something good.

"Come in, the human is stable." The door creaks open and the sound of hooves trot into the room.

"Shining, Nurse, may you give us some time alone?" One voice asks, calm and kind.

"Of course, your highnesses" They reply, and the door shuts. You quickly grab the pillow from behind your head and slam it over your face; you can't be seen like this.

"Are you fit to speak, Human?" The first voice asks, you feel fear filling up your body. You presume the two ponies now standing next to your bed are Celestia, Ruler of the sun and Equestria, and Luna, Ruler of the moon and co-ruler of Equestria. You sweat and shake with anxiety. You know they think you are a traitor, a threat to them of some kind. You could only imagine how pathetic you look in front of them now. You just fell over and gave yourself a concussion for fuck sake.

"Ugh…" You groan weakly, muffled by the pillow "S-sure, I… I think s-so," Your nervousness causes you to stutter.

"Okay then." She says, still calm. "Would you like to explain-"

"You know exactly why you are here human!" The second pony, Luna, cuts her sister off. Your mouth trembles open to speak.

"No… n-no, I-I have no idea. Why a-am I here?" you manage to say, bringing the pillow off of your face as you struggle to breathe. While these ponies seemed friendly in the T.V show, you still had fears that whatever you have done might be death sentence worthy. You see both of their heads leaning over from either side of your bed. They were tall.

"Do not play dumb human. We have heard about your 'Plans against Celestia,' my sister will not be brought down by a single human." She continues interrogating. Plans against Celestia…? Oh, the fanfic! It comes back to you. How the heck are you going to explain a fanfic to these ponies?

"I-I, uh, no- well, you see… uh, it was just." Stutter, stutter, stutter, that's all you ever seem to do now, maybe you have brain damage after all?

"Sister, he is obviously in distress at the moment. He is no threat to us here." Celestia says to her sister. "We will leave you be for a little longer human, you will see us in the throne room tomorrow." Celestia says to you, "For now, I'm afraid you will be staying in the dungeon." She says, rather coldly.

"Okay… that's, fair… I g-guess." You reply with no confidence. They leave your side and the sound of hooves leaves the room You slam the pillow back over your miserable face.

"How am I going to explain this in a way they'll understand?" You say aloud to yourself, relieved to be alone. That feeling of relief ceases to exist when you hear another set of hooves clopping out of the room. One of the princesses was still there! They say nothing as they leave, and by the time you sit up to catch who it was, they're gone. A pony then returns into the room. The nurse who was looking after you is now gazing at you.

"I trust that went well?" She asks.

"No, no it didn't…" You reply flatly, mentally kicking yourself for saying what you said out loud while one of the princesses was still in the room. You lie back down in a huff.

* * *

"I'm in a c-c-cartoon world, a-a-and the th-th-thing that will k-kill me is f-f-fucking hypoth-th-thermia!" You curse out loud. It's the dead of the night and the temperature in your cell has plummeted to freezing conditions. Your tiny bed only has one thin sheet on the mattress and some hay. That's all you have for warmth beside your uniform you are still wearing, it didn't make much of a blanket. There is no way of telling the time and no way of informing someone that you probably weren't going to survive the night. You guess these conditions were easily lived in by ponies, they have extra fur coats which must be more effective than clothes. You realise you have no choice. You have to do something to get someone's attention. Thinking there must be a guard on dungeon duty. You grab the food bowl on the table that now only contains hay. Dumping the hay on the floor you hurl it at the wall, hoping it will smash and get someone's attention. It does indeed smash against the concrete of the cell, but nothing comes of the smashing sound. In the silence of brainstorming a new idea, you pick up on the faint snoring of who must have been the guard on duty. You try as hard as you can to think of a way to make noise, it feels as if ice starts to cover your brain. Shouting is out of the question, the most sound you can make is a harsh whisper. Walking around in an effort to keep warm you kick a shard of the smashed ceramic bowl. You quickly grab it, not noticing the edge cutting into your skin as your hands are numb from the cold. It is roughly square in shape and about the size of your hand. You place it against the bars of the cell, fumbling it a bit as your cold hands get a proper grip. Starting slow you clack the shard against the metal bars of your cell. The sound echoes through the dead hallways of the dungeon. You get more and more desperate, walking along the cell before jogging and then running, constantly clacking the cell bars.

The door creaks open and you stop clacking. The only sounds are the approaching hooves and your heavy breathing, exhausted from running. Thankfully you had warmed up a tiny bit.

"What is that racket?!" The guard yells at you, approaching, slightly smaller than the other unicorn guard from earlier. This pony is a Pegasus. You can tell from the rounded muzzle and higher pitched voice this guard is female. She still wears the same gold armour and has a similar colour scheme to the other guard.

"P-P-Please, before I freeze to death!" You shout, temperature dropping by the second.

"It isn't even cold, you're just trying to trick me into letting you out, aren't you?" She narrows her eyes at you.

"No, th-th-this is s-s-serious. I'm going to die!" You shiver uncontrollably. Your body starts to give in to the cold. Barley any of your limbs feel like they are even there. Numbness is the only other feeling you have beside cold. The guard's eyes widen suddenly, she realises you aren't tricking her. She unlocks your cell and pulls you over her back. You slump over her sideways, on your stomach. Unable to move a muscle you are rushed out of the dungeon. As you are carried through the torch lit hallways of the castle you are slowly comforted by the higher temperature. You regain strength in your arms, and you start to think straight. You look ahead, seeing where you are being taken. None of the castle looks familiar, so you have no idea. Suddenly, the pony carrying you is stopped in her tracks. You look up and see the dark, midnight-blue of princess Luna.

"What in Equestria art thou doing!?" She shouts, obviously enraged that you aren't freezing to death in your cell.

"Your highness, I didn't know what to do, he was about to die. I was taking him to take him to the infirmary." The guard tells her.

"You foal! He could have escaped!" She retorts, still angry.

"I mean no disrespect your highness, but if that was his intention, wouldn't he be gone by now?" The guard defends you. Luna gives a small 'humph' before turning away.

"Bring him back to the dungeon, do not let him out of there until tomorrow, understood?" She commands, the guard nods and turns back around.

* * *

By the time you reach the dungeon you've already warmed up a bit. However, the spine chilling temperatures of the dark, stone room are still very noticeable. you slip off the pony's back and wander back to your cell. You had to admit to yourself, you're surprised a single pony could carry your weight for such a long period of time. "I'll be back in a moment!" She whispers across the dead-silent room. She closes the door behind her but not fully. She has left the door open, you can run away right now! But what if you're caught? Is it better to keep trust or gain freedom? You decide it is too risky so you slump on your bed, legs hanging over the side. About a minute later the door creaks open again, you can't believe the guard actually came back! She rushes into your cell carrying a large blanket. It looks much thicker and higher quality than the torn, dirty sheet you lay under. When she brings it in you take if off of her and wrap it around yourself quickly. The warm blanket brings you back to a more tolerable temperature.

"Thank you, thank you so much." You are incredibly grateful to the guard who just saved your life. "How do you even survive in these conditions?"

"Honestly, it just doesn't feel cold. Now get into bed before somepony else comes to check on you, and don't wake me up from another nap!" She scolds you playfully, you chuckle a little bit in response. She leaves the dungeon, closing the creaky old wooden door carefully behind her. You wrap yourself tightly in your blanket, happy to be alive.


	3. Chapter 3

"Prisoner, wake up! The time has come!" Is what you awaken to. Your eyes protest at the thought of waking up, but you had to do what you were told. You strain your eyelids open, saddened to see you aren't back in your bed at home. "Prisoner!" The same male voice yells. You quickly shake yourself awake and swing yourself out of bed. You look towards the guard, he's the same one from yesterday, the one who took you to the infirmary. You slowly follow his command, approaching the cell door as he unlocks it.

"Ugh, I don't feel so good." You groan, stepping out of the cell. The guard stays close to your side.

"Admittedly, you don't look very well. However the princesses… well, princess Luna specifically is getting impatient." He tells you, keeping focused on the hallway ahead. The hallway is huge, something you didn't notice last night. Looking down into the shiny, freshly polished floor you see the reflection of yourself. Your skin seems pale, but you pass it off as nothing. The ceiling of the hallway is high enough off of the ground to fit a house under at least. Marble columns line the walls down the entire length of the grand hallway; the architecture is outstanding to say the least. At the end of the hallway are the huge double doors which mark your fate. Behind those doors you will be judged by the two rulers of this land, and you're pretty sure you won't be let off easily after coming up with 'Plans against Celestia.'

* * *

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I have brought with me the prisoner, he has agreed to co-operate fully and without question." The guard presents you to the princesses. You don't recall agreeing to anything of the sort, but you are in no position to argue.

"Very well." The tall, white alicorn says, "Leave us, Shining Armour." She tells the guard, who you only just now recognise as Shining Armour. With a respectful bow he backs out of the door, closing it behind him. You stare up at the two figures looming over you. Fear is asphyxiating you. You don't know what to say in front of royalty. Neither seem amused, you already know how impatient princess Luna is, and Celestia is showing the same signs. You cannot form a single word, a few pathetic whimpers come from your mouth.

"Human, please, explain these Plans against me." Celestia says, calm but serious, giving you a stare which pierces your very soul. You've dug yourself into a deep hole now, openly talking about the fan fiction without checking whether anyone was about.

"I-it's a title…" You say quietly, what confidence you have left dissipates when you realise how stupid this is going to sound. "A t-title for a book… that I, I was writing… I-I'm an author..." You decide to just call it a book. "Um, I-it was about this woman who ruled a, a faraway land…" You make your best efforts to lie about what it is.

"…an author you say?" She raises an eyebrow.

"Sister, he's obviously trying to trick us. You're too passive when it comes to dealing with criminals." Luna says to her sister.

"Not passive, sister. Smart," Celestia says, "I know how to deal with them." You aren't sure what that's supposed to mean, is she going to play mind games with you?

"I'm… I'm being truthful. Please, don't doubt me. I just want to go home…" You mumble" What was that?" Celestia asks.

"N-nothing." You reply, trying to look strong. "Just please, believe my words. I have no idea who either of you are." You lie "Or where I am."

"The city of Canterlot, Equestria. We are it's rulers and have been for generations. I, Luna, rule the night. My sister, Celestia, rules the day." Luna explains with a serious tone.

'I know' You think to yourself, not actively trying to control your train of thought as you are still weighing your options.

"What do you mean you know?" Celestia says, your heart stops. You stare down at the floor, hiding your absolute terror.

'You just read my mind, didn't you?' You think.

"Indeed. Now, since you just proved that what you said was a lie, would you care to explain yourself once more? The truth this time!" Celestia is getting impatient just like her sister now. You can't explain, you just simply can't. Thoughts of how an attempt at explanation would play out race through your mind, all ending badly. There is only one other option, besides giving up, and that is to escape. But how? The door behind you is guarded by two serious looking ponies, you don't want to get into a fight you'll most likely lose. There's one other way out, lining the walls of the room are stain glass windows. You know full well that waiting for you on the other side of those windows is a deadly drop. But, it's that or spending another night freezing to death in a cell.

"Human, answer me now!" She's passed being annoyed, she has given you enough chances. You look to her, then the windows, then back to her, then around to the door, then back to her. You look her dead in the eyes, the expression of fear never leaving your face, you know this is your only option.

You roar with a thunderous agro, adrenalin pumping through your veins. Turning to the right, you sprint towards the closest window as fast as your legs can carry you. You duck you head down and raise your arms to protect yourself. Celestia, Luna and the guards can be heard trying to stop you verbally. Luna says something about a 'spell not working' but you carry on. Your screams of rage turn to screams of terror as you make contact with the glass. The yellow window showing the stages of the moon is shattered as your weight plunges through it. Shards of glass cut you in several different places. You want to turn back, you regret your decision, but it's too late now. Falling, screaming, cursing, you plunge into the icy water of the moat.

You re-surface, gasping for air. You cannot believe you're alive, not even hurt in the slightest, ignoring the cuts all over your arms. You look up towards where you fell from, a few tiny shards of glass are still raining down on you. In the smashed window you can see Celestia and Luna, staring down at you. You swim against the current of the moat so you can savour the moment. Then you realise something isn't right. Since when did moats have currents? You stop swimming and the current carries you along, out of the line of sight of the Princesses. A faint roar appears to be getting louder and louder. It sounds like water…

It sounds like a waterfall.

Sure enough, just ahead of you the water drops off the side of the mountain. You realise this isn't a natural moat, it's some kind of giant golden dish situated beneath the castle that acts as an artificial waterfall. There are several lily-pads floating on the surface of the water, but nothing to hold on to. You reach the edge and try to snad in the shallow water, but the current is too strong and before you can get you balance you're swept over the edge. You only just grab the edge of the giant dish. Water is pelting your face as you hang on with both arms, you can barely breathe. It becomes too much, the slippery surface doesn't want you to hold on any longer. You let go.

You flail helplessly as you plummet towards the ground below. There are a few trees to break your fall. All you can do is hope that they will be enough, perhaps you will escape with just a few broken bones and maybe another concussion. That's wishful thinking at its finest. You only have a few seconds left before impact. You force your eyes open so you can concentrate on where you are going to land.

The crash happens so fast you barely register it. You hit a few branches, possibly feeling a rib crack, and you land on the ground face first. The pain doesn't register, you just lay face first in the dirt, listening to the flow of the nearby river and the birds chirping in the mid-day sky. You cannot move for a long time, you lay on the ground for about an hour. Eventually you roll over onto your back and stare up at the twisted, broken trees which let you live. The pain then begins to set in. You still can barely move, but you can make noise. You wail as loud as you can in pain. Your chest is the most damaged area of your body and that's where most of your pain is coming from. There's nothing you can do about it except wait it out, or wail it out.


	4. Chapter 4

It's been about an hour, time to do something. You grab a broken twig and bite down on it, straining the pain away as you manage to push up onto your feet. A nearby tree supports your agonising chest as you catch your breath. You spit out the stick and break one of the tree's branches off to use as a walking stick. The first one you break off is too short. You discard it by hurling it into the nearby river, hearing a satisfying slap as it strikes the surface of the water. The next one you break off too much, standing straight it comes just past your shoulder. You make do with it though as there aren't any more sizeable branches to pick from. Your new walking stick is a light shade of brown, it feels quite smooth to touch rather than rough and flaky. The bottom part of it is slightly crooked, you figure it would make more sense to hold the crooked part so you flip it around. You test it out by walking the width of the path to a tree on the other side. Each step does send a jolt of pain through your chest, but it's better than nothing. You decide to follow the river and see where it takes you, maybe Ponyville is nearby, you might be able to get some help.

* * *

The scenery is more than pleasant. Rolling plains of green stretch as far as the eye can see. In the distance to your left there is a large collection of trees, like a forest. You figure it's the Everfree forest so Ponyville should be nearby. There are only a few clouds in the sky, and the sun shines brightly. You look down at the path in front of you for a few seconds as your neck starts to ache. When you look back up there are only about half the number of clouds there were before. Another one exploding catches your eye, you can just about make out a small rainbow darting towards another cloud. The rainbow clashes with the cloud and destroys it in a puff of white. Your heart sinks a bit when you realise that must be Rainbow Dash. For some reason, seeing this character makes you feel really uneasy, as if she might be a danger to you or something, however there was no sign as to why. You continue walking while watching her do her job, after she smashes the last cloud she dives downwards to the town which is just coming into view; Ponyville. You're currently standing on top of a hill which goes down towards the town, you decide to take a rest so you carefully place yourself on the grass and lean against a nearby tree. You had been through so much today, more than any day in your entire life, you deserve a rest.

* * *

"Just grab it quickly Applebloom! That thing's asleep, it wont notice you take the branch." You hear someone whisper. Forgetting where you are you pass it off as nothing so you just keep your eyes closed. There are footsteps coming closer, the clunking sound of wood, and then footsteps leaving fast. You manage to pull your eyelids open, just to see three coloured blurs leaving over the other side of the hill. "This'll make a perfect flagpole!" One of them says. There is an orange and pink one, a red and green one, and finally a white one. You pull yourself up and suddenly jerk with the pain of your chest. That reminds you of where you are and what you're doing. You aren't really sure how long you were asleep for, it's the same time of day, so you either didn't sleep very long or you've been sleeping for over a day, you go with the former. Using the tree, you stand yourself up in the same way you did before. Still half-asleep, you grab for where your stick is. To your dismay, the walking stick has vanished. You check the floor and around the tree but there's no sign of it. The tree you're next to has no low branches to use and you still don't feel strong enough to walk.

* * *

After a few minutes of lying there helplessly, you decide you need to move. Struggling into a crooked stance, you carefully release your grip on the tree. There is pain, and it's bad. You quickly grab back onto the tree, surprised by how much that hurt. Now you know what to be ready for, you take a few deep breaths and let go again. You stay standing for about five seconds and then you re-grasp the trunk of the tree. Okay, there is another tree just down the path a bit, You think you can make it. As soon as you let go of the safety of the tree trunk you begin to hobble over to the next tree. Every step sends a similar kind of pain through your chest as when you were using your walking stick, only now it's ten-times worse. You fall just short of the next tree, so you crawl to make up the rest of the distance. 'There's no way I'm trying that again' you think to yourself, now propped up against the second tree. Trees have been very helpful to you in the past few hours, catching you and supporting you.

* * *

"Help me someone!" After a few more minutes of pathetically lying there, you decide the best course of action is to call for help and hope whoever finds you doesn't know why you're here. "I need a doctor or something!" You call, after each call you listen carefully for replies. All that sounds is a few birds, possibly in the tree above, but you can't be bothered to look up. After more time has passed with another few calls for help resulting in nothing, you try to walk again. You stand cautiously, ready to stop at the slightest indication that you're going to get hurt. Something in your chest doesn't want you to move however. It attacks you, and the pain that follows in unbearable. You dive to the floor and let out the loudest F-Bomb you've ever dropped. The birds in every single nearby tree fly away in a panic, leaving nothing but total silence. That is, until you hear hoof steps against the path you lay near. Someone heard you!

You look around, clutching your agonising chest. It isn't a pony who has found you, it's a zebra! She is staring at you, half confused, half concerned. You manage to heave yourself into sitting against the tree. "Please, I think I've broken a few ribs! I need medical attention!" You wail, the sting of your most recent fall still dwelling in your chest.

"O-of course, creature, sorry I know not what you are. Come with me back to my hut, it isn't too far." She responds with slight hesitation, obviously still bewildered by seeing a creature she has never seen before.

"I can't walk properly though, it hurts too much." You reply, using the tree to stand once more.

"Ah, yes, just as I thought. Just lean on my side, use me for support." She rhymes again, you are impressed with the way she can just make them up like that. You push yourself off the tree and endure a brief few milliseconds of pain as you transition from tree to zebra. You rest your right arm over her back to take the pressure off of the rest of your body. From here you look around to see if you can spot any other branches that could make a half-decent walking stick. There isn't a single branch in reachable distance, almost as if someone just cleared them all up.

* * *

As you limp along, the zebra, whose name is Zecora if memory serves you correctly, seems very quiet. You ask her a few questions, such as "Whereabouts do you live?" she tells you that she lives in the Everfree forest, as that's the only place she can get peace and quiet while still being close to civilisation. Of course, she tells it in her own rhyming way. You also ask her how she is going to help you, she explains that she knows potions which can speed up healing processes. She also explains why she didn't take you to Ponyville, "You are much like me, an outsider, you see? When I first came to Ponyville, I was seen as evil!" She seems a bit disheartened.

"…Because you're a zebra, huh? Seems a bit… racist…" You think aloud, Zecora looks at you with a confused expression, but you tell her not to worry. "So, they'll probably see me as evil or scary or something stupid, right? Wouldn't they trust you?"

"While the ponies have learned to trust me, I still don't think they trust me fully. It would be wise to steer clear of that town for a while, unless you're prepared to be put on trial." She says, almost sinisterly.

"I've been through enough of that recently…" You again think aloud, Zecora smiles, but she seems a bit nervous. "Obviously n-not, like, trials for crimes!" You lie.

"I assure you I was not implying-"

"Good!" You quickly put in, "Look, I have been through a lot today. Too much." You explain, frustrated, but also regretful of your decision to cut the zebra off. "I'm sorry for acting so…"

"Unusual? Given the circumstances, I think it's understandable." She lets you off, relieving you slightly.

* * *

The scenery begins to change. Expanses of beautiful, bright green grass are replaced by sinister and looming trees. Their bark seems much darker and rougher than the other trees, the branches look more ropey as they dangle in front of you. Leaves are dark and more abundant in some places while more scarce in others. The foliage is curious too, one of the most notable examples being a glowing blue plant which grew together in large patches. It looked almost alien. The silence of the area stops being relaxing and begins to become daunting, so you decide to break it.

"S-sorry to be a bother but… h-how much further to your, uh, hut?" You ask, nervously.

"Not too far, no need to be sorry. Is the forest making you worry?" She asks, a slight grin spreading across her face. Truthfully, you are feeling very uncomfortable in this environment, but lying to make yourself look better never hurt anyone.

"Of course not!" You reply, masking your distress with a cheerful grin, which then switches to a slight frown. "I'm just concerned about… getting home…" Your voice quietens, but it's still audible since the only other noise in the forest is your footsteps.

"Ah, I see, you are otherworldly?" She asks, you're surprised she accepts that fact so quickly.

"Yeah, my memory's a bit hazy from something that happened earlier, but I know I was taken from my world by someone; might have been a pony." You briefly explain, trying your hardest to remember some key part of the event.

"I see, strange occurrences are not rare around here, but I promise this part of the forest contains nothing to fear." She replies, still holding a grin.

"I told you, it isn't the forest!" You snap, she just chuckles softly in response.

* * *

You eventually arrive at the large, old tree that Zecora had fashioned into a hut. The windows are glowing yellow and a creepy looking mask watches you from atop the door. The hut doesn't look like much, but you aren't planning on staying too long anyway. Zecora pushes the rickety timber door open and brings you inside. You are greeted by relaxing warmth coming from the cooking pot situated in the centre of the room. There is a peculiar red liquid bubbling inside the cooking pot. An assortment of coloured vials, jars and pots line the shelves of the room, a few are even hanging from the ceiling. More creepy decorative masks decorate the walls on the inside, almost like they're watching your every move. Something begins to dawn on you a little bit, why is some stranger being this kind to you? A stranger, who lives in the middle of no-where. You can't call for help in the middle of no-where! What exactly is that blood-red liquid? Are you going to be a part of it? Maybe you should leave now…

"By your face I can tell you aren't feeling good. Please, lie down on this bed if you would." She instructs you, taking you into a smaller room. Why should you? You don't need to lie down. Hang on a sec, you're over-thinking this. It's zecora, the show's supernatural-esque character. What harm could she possible bring? Even if she is a stranger… You remember a few kind acts she had performed on the show and accept you're in good hands. You lie down slowly, avoiding causing your chest more pain.

"Why, exactly, do I need to lie here?" You ask, still fretful.

"I need to understand what's required to fix your chest. It won't be completely accurate, but I'll try my best." With that, giving you no time to object, she jabs a fore hoof right into the most painful area of your chest. The hurting sears to a point where you cannot even react. Zecora seems calm the entire time, eyes closed and silent. She moves her hoof around your chest and then takes the hoof away.

"What the fuck was that for!?" You boom, tears forming from the incredible pain.

"Ah, I have the right ingredients for you, do not move, I'll be back in two." She backs out into the main room of the hut, leaving you writhing in pain on the bed. You want to clutch the tender area, but that only makes it hurt more. Eventually, you tire yourself out, and drift into a light sleep. A few minutes later you're awoken by Zecora, and the smell of what must have been the savior of your chest. You open your eyes and glance over at her. She is skilfully balancing a wooden cup on top of her mane.

"This special drink is for you. Your pain should end when you drink this brew." She explains, you haul yourself up, chest never letting you forget you have broken a rib, and take the cup from her head. You study the pink liquid, swishing it about in the cup. It smells strong, with a hint of spice affecting your sinuses. Turning and letting out a sneeze, you go back to the cup.

"I don't want to sound rude but… is this safe to drink?" You enquire, feeling a bit rude. Zecora nods silently in response. You stare back into the swirling pink liquid. You give it a little taste test, finding it tastes like a cough medicine of some description. It also has a spicy kick to it, waking you up. You decide to just chug the entire drink without holding back. It burns as it sinks down into your body, the taste of un-flavoured cough medicine makes you cringe. Finally, it passes through your system and you relax against the wall the bed is by. "How long 'till it does its thing?" You ask. As if right on cue, the broken rib in your chest once again sends you into agony. "What the hell? I thought this was going to make me better!" You yell.

"A healing effect this potion does not lack. What you are feeling is your rib growing back." She explains calmly, still not really bothered about the immense pain you are in. When it finally comes to an end after what feels like hours, you stand up straight and stretch, cracking your back for the first time in ages.

"I am never breaking another fucking bone again." You state, glad that you're finally better. Zecora glares at you distastefully. You apologise for your foul language, which stops her glaring. You notice how dark it is outside and ask for the time. She doesn't know the exact time as she doesn't own a clock, but she tells you it's very late. "Uh, I have a slight problem, you see… I have nowhere to stay…" You feel a bit stupid and you really don't want to seem rude. But you sure as hell don't want to walk out into the forest by yourself and try to find somewhere to stay.

"You may stay in my hut as long as you fancy, in return I'd like you to run a few errands for me." She proposes, since you don't see any alternative you accept. How hard could work for a zebra be? Using a spare blanket and pillow you lay on the floor in the main room of the hut. Zecora bids you good night before retiring to her own bed. In the silence of the night you think over the day's events. It was probably the most exciting day you've ever had. You escaped from prison by jumping through a window. In total you probably fell a height equal to a few skyscrapers. You broke a bone and got it healed in the same day. Finally, you managed to make acquaintances with, of all things, a zebra. What's more, this time you aren't freezing to death.


End file.
